How much cost have a child? All mothers ask ourselves that question to make sure that we can give our baby the best.
Diapers, hygiene items , strollers, car safety seats, vaccinations, food, education, clothing, footwear… Parents know that the arrival of a baby is an extra expense, but calculating exactly how much it costs to have a child is not easy.
We want our baby to lack for nothing, offer him the best, guarantee him a good education and protect his health . Whatever it takes? If we can afford it, why not. However, we are also aware that the cost will depend on the needs of each child and our financial situation.
It is undeniable that having a child is a sum and continues with expenses that seem endless. Especially during the first year of life. When I had my son I didn’t take out the calculator to see how much money it was going to cost me. It was a friend who one day asked me the question and I didn’t know what to answer. “What difference does it make about the cost involved?” I thought. But I couldn’t get that question out of my head and I began to do calculations.
Do you also wonder how much it costs to have a child? I hope to help you with this post. The figures vary depending on the Autonomous Community of residence and the different studies that have been carried out in recent years, but the minimum is around 7,000 euros for the first 12 months . The expense goes down as the years go by, although the amount is still important.
In this article we will focus on calculating how much it costs to have a child up to 10 years old. For this we have taken into account the prices of products to cover basic needs and some of the reports published by different entities.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HAVE A CHILD: FROM 0 TO 12 MONTHS
We start at the beginning, that is, with the birth of the baby. In this case we are going to take as a reference the expenses involved in having the first child, when you have to buy everything. What expenses do we face?
- Diapers : if we calculate an average of 6 diapers a day and multiply it by 0.18 euros, which is the average price per unit, we get a daily cost of 1.08 euros. They add up to 394 euros per year .
- Hygiene : disposable wipes, creams and bathroom items are also needed. That can be another 1,000 euros per year to add to diapers.
- Health : many parents choose to take out private medical insurance for their babies. And I say we opted, because I hadn’t even thought about it until I became a mom. Worth? In my specific case, yes, especially when my son gets sick at night and I have to go to the emergency room with him. For me, arriving and being attended to almost immediately cannot be quantified in money. These policies have an annual cost of about 700 euros.
- Then there is the issue of vaccinations. Social Security finances most of the vaccines established in the calendar, but not all. In some autonomous communities, there are 4 for babies whose cost (between 800 and 1,000 euros) is borne by the families:
- – Prevent: 4 doses are needed and each one costs 75 euros.
- – Rotavirus: 3 doses, with a cost of between 69 and 93 euros (varies depending on the laboratory).
- – Meningitis B: 4 doses are given, and each one has a price of 105 euros.
- – Tetravalent antimeningococcal: one dose at 12 months, with a price of about 55 euros.
- Food : calculate approximately 1,400 euros . If the baby is breastfeeding and you choose to prepare the food with fresh food, this item can be lowered.
- Cradle, stroller and other accessories : another 3,400 euros on average.
- Nursery : depending on whether it is public or private, the cost is higher or lower. The rates for public 0 to 3 centers vary according to income, but the average with a canteen is around 170 euros per month. The private ones cost an average of 300 euros per month .
- Clothing and footwear : reports speak of about 1,200 euros a year, including pajamas, bodysuits and socks.
- Toys : balls, teethers, rattles, stuffed animals… Add at least 150 euros .
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HAVE A CHILD: 1 TO 3 YEARS
The following two years the expenses go down a little, but they are still high. The last report of the now dissolved consumer organization Ceaccu spoke of an annual expenditure in this period of 14,200 euros . Where does that amount come from? We distribute it by games:
- Food: 3,400 euros.
- Clothing and footwear: 900 euros.
- Education: 4,800 euros.
- Health: 1,000 euros.
- Accessories: 2,500 euros.
- Leisure and toys: 400 euros.
In its report “The cost of parenting” published last year, the NGO Save the Children calculated a minimum cost of between 5,749 and 6,612 euros per year per child , between birth and 3 years.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO HAVE A CHILD BETWEEN THE AGES OF 3 AND 10?
When children start school, to all basic expenses ( food is 120 euros per month) must be added the cost of their education. According to OCU statistics, in Infant this is 1,332, 2,558 or 6,281 euros per year, depending on whether you opt for a public, concerted or private school. They are calculations similar to those of Save The Children: between 1,350 and 2,500 euros per year in public and concerted education, including the dining room and extracurricular activities.
In Primary, the cost in education is similar: 1,332 euros in a public school, 2,767 in a concerted one and 6,105 in a private one for the OCU. Meanwhile, Save The Children speaks of a cost in education of between 2,150 and 3,450 euros per year (with dining room, textbooks and an extracurricular).
Camps, birthdays and leisure are other expenses to add. However, the average at this stage is about 550 euros per month. Between the ages of 10 and the age of majority, the cost is approximately 7,000 euros per year. That is the price of guaranteeing the future of our children.
